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Jay Feaster, the newly named general manager of the Calgary Flames, will be among the guests Wednesday on NHL Live!, airing from noon-2 p.m. on the NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

Feaster got the job in Calgary on Tuesday, replacing Darryl Sutter. Ironically, he built the Tampa Bay Lightning squad that beat the Flames in seven games to win the 2004 Stanley Cup.

Also speaking with hosts Billy Jaffe and Rob Simpson will be former NHL star Bobby Holik, TSN's Darren Dreger and Boston Bruins forward Blake Wheeler, a member of Team USA at the World Junior Championships five years ago. The Americans' defense of their gold medal is off to a good start after wins against Finland and Slovakia.

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The two biggest events currently on the hockey calendar -- the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and the 2011 World Junior CHampionship -- take center stage on Tuesday's NHL Live!, noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

New Jersey forward Adam Mair appears, discussing his memories of the first Winter Classic in Buffalo four years ago. Mair played for Buffalo against Pittsburgh in the memorable game at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

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Veteran defenseman Ed Jovanovski played in his 1,000th NHL game on Sunday night and on Monday the Phoenix Coyotes' blueliner will appear on NHL Live!, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

TSN hockey personality Bob McKenzie, Washington Capitals play-by-play man Steve Kolbe and former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock are also scheduled to appear on the show, which will feature the players of the week.

NHL Live! is broadcast from the NHL Store Powered By Reebok in New York City.

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The first meeting of the season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals figures to be the big topic of discussion Thursday on NHL Live!, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

Among those scheduled to appear to speak with co-hosts Don La Greca and E.J. Hradek are Caps TV play-by-play man Joe Beninati, as well as TV analysts Kevin Weekes and Mike Milbury. The Caps and Penguins will meet again on Jan. 1 in the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Also scheduled to appear is goaltender Jack Campbell, Dallas' top pick in the Entry Draft last June and the likely starter for Team USA, which will try to defend its title at the World Junior Championship beginning Sunday in Buffalo.

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'Twas the night before the night before Christmas
and all through the land
there were hockey games a plenty …
and isn't that grand!

With the NHL preparing to take Christmas Eve and Christmas off, the Dec. 23 schedule is packed with 13 games. While the big contest of the night is the Winter Classic warmup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center, 24 other teams will spend the last night before the break on the ice.

The Penguins and Caps play one of seven games that face off at 7 p.m. ET.

In Boston, the Bruins and Atlanta Thrashers will try to bounce back from home losses. Boston fell 3-0 to Anaheim on Monday, while Atlanta lost 4-2 at home to St. Louis on Tuesday. Florida, a 5-2 loser at Pittsburgh on Wednesday, moves on to Buffalo, where the Sabres are coming off a 5-2 victory against the Ducks on Tuesday.

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The Canucks are 9-1-1 in their last 11 and have won four in a row after beating the Blues 3-1 in St. Louis on Monday. The Wings have been off since Sunday's disappointing 4-3 overtime home loss to Dallas, a game they led 2-0 in the first period and 3-2 late in the third.

Viewers in the United States can tune in to the NHL Network for the 7:30 p.m. ET faceoff, while fans in Canada can watch on TSN.

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Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero will be among the guests on NHL Live! on Tuesday, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio.

Shero's Penguins will be front and center Wednesday night in the second episode of HBO's "24/7" series on the buildup to the Bridgestone Winter Classic airs at 10 p.m. ET.

Also scheduled to appear to speak with co-hosts Rob Simpson and E.J. Hradek and are San Jose Sharks' center Logan Couture, one of the NHL's top rookies this season, former NHL star Bobby Holik and Cody Hanson, drummer for the rock group Hinder -- which will perform live prior to the Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Jan. 1.

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With all eyes focused on the Penguins and Capitals, NHL Network will bring their final clash prior to the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic to fans in the U.S. on Thursday.

NHL Network-U.S. will have live pre-game coverage of Thursday's game, starting at 7 p.m. when "NHL On The Fly" host Brian Duff joins analyst Kevin Weekes for a pre-game show. The two also will provide full intermission reports, including game analysis, highlights and interviews with key players.

Hrudey appeared in 677 NHL games between 1984 and 1998 and won 271 of them while posting a career goals-against average of 3.43. Hrudey, who guided the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, also played for the San Jose Sharks from 1996-98.